Common Orthodontic Issues

Crowding of the teeth

Patient started treatment at age 11 and wore braces for 22 months. He loves his new smile.

Open bite - Front teeth don't touch

Before

After

Patient sucked her thumb as a young child. She started treatment at age 13. She had braces and exercises to retrain her tongue, for 28 months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich!

Deep overbite - Lower front teeth bite into palate

Before

After

This adult patient, age 25, required a combination of braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite, with treatment taking two years. His problem likely could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager.

Missing lateral incisors

Before

After

This patient's upper lateral incisors were congenitally missing. She had braces for 18 months to consolidate spaces & move the teeth into their correct positions. She then had her missing teeth replaced with esthetic restorations.

Underbite - Lower front teeth in front of upper teeth

Before

After

This patient's underbite was causing her jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After about 22 months of treatment at age 32, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier.

Spacing of teeth

Before

After

This patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Braces closed the spaces and gave him an ideal bite in 20 months. Special bonded lingual (inside) retainers were used in this case to help keep the spaces closed.

Overjet - Protruding front teeth

Before

After

At age ten, patient had a big overjet with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment. The first phase helped her jaws to grow more harmoniously, and the second phase aligned her teeth and bite. At age 13, she was proudly displaying her new healthy smile!

Braces-free treatment

Before

After

Sometimes braces are not needed to get noticeable improvements in tooth alignment. This patient was first seen at age seven for crowding of the lower permanent teeth. A lip bumper appliance was used and the permanent incisors aligned on their own in nine months.

Phase-One

Before

After

This patient's parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him to the orthodontist at age eight. The lower front teeth were crowded and touching the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced from their normal positions. After 12 months of Phase-One treatment with an expander, lip bumper and partial braces, the patient's appearance and dental function were vastly improved.